Chad vs Mali

Chad is 4% larger than Mali.

ChadMaliChad moved onto Mali · Equal-area projection
1.04×
Chad is 1.04× the area of Mali.
ChadMali
Area1,284,000 km²1,240,192 km²
Population21,003,70525,198,821
Density16 / km²20 / km²
CapitalN'DjamenaBamako
RegionMiddle AfricaWestern Africa
CoastlineLandlockedLandlocked
Neighbours67

Why the map you grew up with disagrees

On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Chad sits at about 15°N and is stretched to 1.07× its true area; Mali at 17° N is stretched to 1.1×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.

Questions about this pair

Is Chad bigger than Mali?
Yes. Chad is 4% larger than Mali. Chad covers 1,284,000 km² and Mali covers 1,240,192 km².
How many times does Mali fit into Chad?
About 1.0 times: Chad has 1.04× the area of Mali.
Why do Chad and Mali look different on Google Maps?
Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Chad is drawn about 1.07× its true area there and Mali about 1.1×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Chad or Mali?
Mali: 25,198,821 people against 21,003,705. Density: Chad 16 per km², Mali 20 per km².